Waltz Through Time
by Hikari-Kayko
Summary: UNDER RECONSTRUCTION! A mysterious girl shows up on station and causes all sorts of trouble for our beloved space farers. But is she so mysterious, or is she more closely related than they thought? Endgame spoilers. IM
1. Prologue

Waltz through Time

By: Hikari-Kayko

Summary: AU. You guessed it! TIME TRAVLE!!! So basically, a mysterious girl shows up on station and causes all sorts of trouble for the command staff. But is she so mysterious, or is she more closely related than they thought?

Rating: T, just in case.

Disclaimers: I know it, you know it; they know it! So, WTF man?! Stupid laws… grumble-grumble… I own nothing to do with Babylon 5, but JMS does… All hail the great maker. This disclaimer applies to all chapters. I will reissue one at the end of the story, just to be sure!!!

Claimers: Ganya, Isabelle and William are my characters. The usual, if you don't recognize them and I don't mention their owners they're probably mine.

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Prolog

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"Agh, MUM!!! Will won't stop bothering me!" Ganya yelled from the back compartment of her families small space transport. Her younger brother, William, with an impish smirk, continued to poke her with the corner of a sheet of rolled up paper while she tried to settle into a book.

"William, stop bothering her, _please_!" Their mother called back in exasperation. This was the third time in as many hours the fourteen year old boy acted as the source of annoyance for Ganya.

"But Mum! I'm not doing anything to her! Ganya's making it up!" The younger boy gave her a devilish grin to combat her look of outrage and flitted away from her reaches as she swung her book at him in retaliation.

He raced out of the compartment, rushing passed their older sister Isabelle, who had just entered the compartment to play referee and into the cockpit with Ganya hot on his heels. Just before she caught up with him in the door way, William stopped suddenly and Ganya nearly rammed into him.

"William, what are you…" She could tell by the rigid set of his shoulders that her brother wasn't playing anymore.

"Dad, what is that?" She heard him whisper to their father as he moved closer to the view screen. With her brother out of the way, Ganya could see the occurrence that grasped the other's attentions so firmly. In front of the transport hung a giant tare in space, shimmering and rippling blue against the black, beautiful, but at the same time, ominous.

The was a sudden jolt that sent Ganya and William scrambling for their seats as their ordered the Minbari style transport to get out of range of the anomaly as quickly as possible while the ship began to shake violently.

"What's going on?" Isabelle called, alarmed, as she reentering the cockpit.

"Get in your seat!" Their father shouted over the roar of the straining engines while he fought with the controls. When all three children pleaded to know what was going on they received identical replies from their parents.

"Sector 14..."

Ganya had just fastened the seat harness around her chest when the stale Minbari voice of the ship gave a sharp warning of incoming and the spatial tare seemed to explode from within engulfing them in a siring white light.

Ganya's yelp was muffled by some unseen force and she felt as though she'd been lifted up away from her body. She turned her head away from the blinding light source to see her brother, but he wasn't there. Suddenly nothing was there, just white, as far as the eye could see. No noise, no feeling, no thought.

For one terrifying second, Ganya feared the nothingness would last forever and then she could feel her body connect with something. Cold, hard, and sterile, a bulkhead maybe, but it didn't matter so long as it felt real and solid. She wanted to know what had happened but could not stop the blackness that accompanied the return to solidity. And then she was alone again, this time in unconsciousness.

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REVIEW!!!

HIKARi


	2. Chapter 1

_Italics – _thought

--- --- --- − Scene change

Spoilers for season four's end

Note to reader: At this time, Sheridan has already been napped by Clark's cronies and there for Ivanova runs the station and Allen is chief of security. This is just before the battles against Mars, Earth, etc…

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Chapter 1

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Lieutenant Commander David Corwin stood at his station on the command deck directing what meager traffic came through on this bleak and quiet morning. He was just beginning to appreciate the silence when a station in the pit began to beep wildly. He did not have to inquire as to what the alarm meant as the ensign manning the station volunteered the information promptly.

"Lieutenant Commander, picking up high levels of tachyon emissions from…" She stopped for a moment in disbelief before continuing under the inquisitive stare of her superior officer. "It's coming from sector 14 Sir."

"Oh, Boy," Corwin sighed to himself. "There goes my quiet morning. Contact the Commander and…" Corwin's order was clipped short by a sudden tremor that shook the station and everyone in it. An obtrusive blaze of white light followed then a bone jarring lurch knocked the C and C crew for a spin.

"Report!" David implored as he pulled himself off the catwalk with the railing he'd nearly tumbles backwards over. Another klaxon sounded before anyone could pull themselves together again and Corwin's link bleeped.

"Corwin what the hell is going on up there?" Susan Ivanova demanded over the link.

"Lieutenant Commander," Another officer called over the heads of confused and startled officers. "Internal scanners are picking up a security breach in red forty-nine!"

David could hear Ivanova's curses as she contacted the security house to scramble a team. "Corwin, what's going on?" She demanded again.

"Its sector fourteen, Commander! The time anomaly has reopened itself somehow, and whatever just came through it is on board the station!"

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Chief Allen and his security detail made their way through the chaos of the main corridors of Babylon 5. People everywhere were yelling, scrambling about and picking themselves up after the violent tremors. Zach and his crew could barely force their way through the sea of panicked beings as they tried desperately to reach the security breach. Zach ordered four men to circle around and come up the corridor from the aft as he motioned for the rest of the team to follow him. The two teams converged on the hall in unison, only to find it void of any real "threat". They did, however, find something out of the ordinary.

"This is it?" Lou asked skeptically as the security officers fanned out, checking every divergence to make sure there was no one else. "This squirt is the security breach?"

A girl lay on the floor about half way down the corridor, sprawled out as though she had been tossed there. She was a little on the short side, maybe 5' 2" or 3" and had pail, milky skin and severe but elegant features with an abundance of soot black hair that fell in soft curls around her face, shoulders, and back. Her garb was Minbari style with a robe like, knee length sweater jacket, leggings, and black boots. The deep black of the outfit was offset by aqua blue metallic trimmings, common to Minbari fashion. Her belt held a holster on each side, one empty, the other housing an old den'bok. Zach had to agree that it wasn't likely that she'd come here to cause any real trouble, if she'd intended to come here at all. Which, by the state she was in and where she'd supposedly come from, she hadn't intended at all.

"Let's get her out of the way then," Allen recommended as clusters of frightened and inquisitive spectators began to accumulate at the ends of the corridor. They pulled her into a little sitting area and called for medical assistance.

"Hey, Zach," Lou asked as he squinted down at the girl lying on the bench before him. "Doesn't this kid kind 'a remind you of someone?" Allen studied the girl's features as the med team arrived and took over the situation, hauling the girl onto a gurney and whisked her off.

"Yeah…" Allen agreed slowly, studying the girl's as they rolled her away. "Yeah, she does."

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"I can't find anything wrong with her Doctor. I think it's just mild shock," The nurse informed Franklin as he checked over the young girl lying in his medical bay.

"Alright," Steven frown, perplexed, as he scribbled on his clipboard. "She'll be out for a while yet; you're sure there wasn't any identification on her?" He asked for what must have been the tenth time.

"Yes sir," The nurse confirmed with a sigh, "Only the name on her bracelet." Steven continued to ponder this ordeal as the nurse left, and checked the time piece on his wrist.

Commander Ivanova informed him moments ago that she'd be down to collect a full report in a little while. She'd sounded extremely ruffled, and for good reason Franklin supposed. This whole ordeal with Garibaldi turning trader and the Captain being kidnapped had taking a toll on all of them, Susan in particular.

"Three, two, one…" Steven counted down the seconds reaching zero exactly when the med-lab doors slid open behind him. _Trust Ivanova to be literal when she says five minutes, _he mused to himself. "Good morning, Commander."

"That's a matter of opinion," She contradicted with a snap. "So, who is she?" She halted by the foot of the bed, studying the teenage girl lying there with a grim set jaw.

"We don't know yet. There's not much information to go on so doing an identity search would be a little difficult." Steven studied the commander's features closely when he said this and anticipated her reaction.

"Sector 14. So that's really were she came from? I thought it was quarantined." She was definitely not pleased. Time travel was a sensitive subject to the few who had gone on the Babylon 4 mission with Sinclair, and Ivanova was no exception.

"Apparently not," Steven answered bleakly. "She was definitely exposed to tachyon particles from that anomaly. She doesn't have any identification… except…"

Susan arched her eyebrow in anticipation. "Except… except what?" Franklin pulled one of the sleeping girl's arms out from under the bed sheet and held it up for the Commander to see. From her delicate wrist hung a silver chain strapping a bar of the same metal loosely to her arm.

It read, 'Ganya Marie' in a wispy, curling script that seemed to harmonious with the girl's strong, yet gentle features. The Commander seemed to freeze, and stared at the inscription for longer than strictly necessary. Franklin was just wondering whether he should snap her out of the little trance when she seemed to reawaken on her own.

"Ganya," A pause, just long enough to elude casual, "And there wasn't any other identification, no surname?" Steven shook his head as Susan stared again at the stranger. She began to stir and Franklin went to his patient's side in anticipation, but she merely settled into motionless sleep again. When the doctor turned again to speak with her, Ivanova had gone, the doors swishing shut behind her.

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Nearly three hours later Ganya began to stir again; this time she opened her eyes. She recognized the place surprisingly enough, but an uneasy since of loneliness alerted her that there was more to the story than that. Something had gone terribly wrong on their approach to Babylon 5 and she needed to know what, now.

"Good morning," Doctor Franklin strolled into exam room three with a friendly smile, "Or evening rather. You've been asleep for nearly nine hours."

"Good evening, Doctor." She replied politely enough, though the perplexed look on her face didn't befit the calm greeting. Ganya recognized the doctor instantly, but there was something… not right about him.

"Do you know where you are?" Franklin inquired, keeping the tone casual so as not to incite panic. Ganya nodded uncertainly, though she spoke with confidence enough for two.

"Babylon 5, med-lab…" She leaned over to the left slightly to see out the exam room doors, to the plaque on the wall by the facility's entry. "Two," She finished.

"Good, I see you've been here before. You seem to know enough about the place. What about you?" The girl cocked her head to the side inquisitively at this. Franklin elaborated, "What's your name, where are you from? Do you remember how you got here?"

"I'm Ganya. I live on Minbari. Izzy, my sister, my brother Will and I go to the academy there." She was speaking as though he should have already known this, pausing every few words, waiting for him to catch on. Steven remained silent, listening intently all the same. "We were on our way to Babylon 5 with our mother and father when…"

She halted abruptly, her brain spontaneously beginning to connect the pieces. Sector 14… quarantined… Sinclair… She'd heard all the weird stories about the Babylon stations. But, that anomaly was supposed to be sealed, non-existent now.

"Your ship passed through sector fourteen didn't it? You were caught in a tachyon burst which brought you through time, here." Steven filled in the blanks left hanging.

Ganya seemed to be soaking it all in for a moment, then her face became decidedly blank. "Oh," Was all she could manage.

"Okay…" Steven quirked a brow in interest but moved on never-the-less, "So, Ganya Marie, Do you have a last name? And who are your parents. Oh, and what year did you come from?" Steven couldn't help but be a little enthusiastic. Time travel was, after all, every child's fantasy.

"Well… what? Wait." She stumbled to find solid ground as she tried to comprehend the situation fully. _Back_ in time? "What… year is it?"

"2261," The doctor divulged freely, then wished he hadn't.

"_Sssixty_-one?!" Ganya's mouth fell open in shock. She balked at the very concept of travelling back 17 years into the past. "No… no, no, no, NO! This isn't happening!"

"Calm down," Steven urges as the expression on Ganya's face approached hysterical. "Let's take this one step at a time, okay?" She nodded quickly, trying to get a grip on herself. One step at a time. "Now," The doctor continued cautiously when he was sure she wouldn't hyperventilate. "Let's start with the basics; what year was it before you were dragged through the rift in sector 14?"

"Uh," Ganya's mind swam with the effort of such a simple question. "2278."

"Okay, good, so, seventeen year. That's not so bad…"

"Not so bad?" Ganya squawked, "That's longer than I've been _alive_!"

"Okay," Franklin soothed as he restrained the girl from jumping down off the bed. "It's _okay._ We'll figure this out, but you have to remain _calm_!" Ganya swallowed hard, trying to fight the tears of fear that prickled at her eyes.

"Now," Steven sighed when she did not attempt to leave the bed again. "Let's try this again. What's your name, and how old are you?"

"I'm sixteen years old by Earth standards." She informed, her voice shaking just noticeably. "My name is Ganya."

"Ganya _what_?" The doctor emphasized.

"Just Ganya," She said firmly now. "If I tell you too much, there will be some serious problems."

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She had in fact learned in school about time travel and the insane truth that there was actually a constitution of time travel made things slightly difficult. She would have to be careful not to give anything to important away about the future, lest she run the risk of changing it for worse. "No and I can't say. But I came from the year 2278."

Franklin furrowed his brow at this. "No, you don't have a last name, or no you won't tell me?" She gave him a goofy sort of grin and he realized for the first time that her eyes, hooded in thick ashen lashes, were bright green.

"The latter." She said cheerily as she swung her stocking-feet over the side of the bed to sit up. She was rather excited, either she was dreaming or this was really happening, one way or the other she was going to have an adventure around her childhood wonderland.

Just then the med-lab doors slid open and a man in black Ranger's cloths and cloak came in. He was slightly paler than norm with dark longish black hair and a bright smile.

"Hullo darling just dropped in for a spell." Ganya blushed deeply when she recognized the man and busied herself with fixing a loose string in the blanket on her bed.

"Hello Marcus." Steven replied as the man came to stand next to him alongside the bed. "You're here just in time to meet our new guest. This is Ganya, I'm sure Delenn told you about her already?"

"Of course, she sent me down to investigate. Busy work if you ask me, but it keeps me out of reach of 'God's wrath." He joked with a grin.

"I see Susan's still mad at you? You're lucky she didn't put you in here permanently." Steven laughed lightly.

"Ah, no. I've got to much charm. She'd never be able to resist my hurt-puppy look." Marcus replied demonstrating this odd facial expression. Both men laughed before Marcus turned his attention to the girl sitting on the bed.

Ganya was still blushing furiously and looking down at her hands. Marcus gave a questioning look to Franklin but received nothing but a clueless shrug.

"So, Ganya, is it? You're the time traveler the station's all a-buzz about." The girl continued to keep quiet but she nodded shyly.

"Well. My name is Marcus. I'm the station's resident Ranger." Ganya looked up for the first time and positioned her hands in the traditional religious triangle and bowed as best she could on the bed without falling off.

"A' Ath'anla Nu' Anla'shok," She greeted in religious cast Minbari. Both Marcus and Steven were taken by surprise but Steven recovered first.

"She says she's from the future. 2278 was it? And, she lives on Minbar." He informed the Ranger. Ganya nodded cheerfully quickly shedding the skin of timidity for her more natural character.

While she was pulling her boots back on and preparing to leave Steven pulled Marcus aside. "I've got some blood samples from her and I'm going to run a file-matching search, see if I can't dig up her parents. Meanwhile, keep her safe and out of everyone's way. Don't let her wonder around by her self. The stations already crazy as it is with the war. But, and this is very important Marcus are you listening?" Marcus nodded though only partly in truth.

He was watching the girl as she double laced her boots and fastened her den'bok to her side. Something about this girl was so familiar it was almost like an itch that couldn't be reached.

"Keep her away from Ivanova, at least for now." That got Marcus' attention as he turned back to his friend with an inquisitive look. "She was down here earlier and I don't think she reacted very well. She's already on her last nerve and something about this girl spooked her this morning."

"Ganya was her brother's name. She probably didn't sit well with that." Marcus thought out loud. Steven raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know that that was her brother's name. That would explain a bit then I guess. But either way, best to steer clear for now. She's been put in a room in red three, so take her there and make sure she knows how to use the com system." Marcus smiled as Ganya jumped down from the bed and walked toward them.

"This should be fun." He smiled mischievously.

"And behave!" Franklin called after the two as they exited the lab. _Oh boy,_ Steven thought to himself as he got to work on the file-match search. _This could be bad._

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A/N: "Nie' se schlect sim'wa." Translates to "I am your friend, in peace." – Minbari way of saying "nice to meet you."

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

~HIKARi

Nei'se schlect sim'wa


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Yeah! I'm back! I feel like I'm really achieving something with this story, and its fun! Keep with it pleaz and I'll keep writing!

READ, REVIEW, AND BE MERRY!!!

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Chapter 2

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"You're all settled in I hope?" Marcus asked kindly as he met Ganya in front of her quarters two days later for a promised afternoon of companionship.

"Oh, yes. I've been here loads of times, so it's not that foreign to me." They made their way down into the Zocalo and walked around aimlessly for a while.

"So, what's it like, time travel?" Marcus asked, curiosity getting the better of his manners. He himself had been involved in the Babylon 4 incident but was curious if the rough experience was conditional or if all time travel was gruelingly eventful.

"Less than pleasant I can honestly say. It's like being knocked silly and removing your soul from your body with a spork. Not a recommendation for holiday." She joked. Marcus laughed, _Yep that sounded about right!_ They chatted easily, like old friends as they made there way slowly through the hustle and bustle of the main corridor.

"And what about your family, you obviously know a lot of people here who are in your future, so what are they like then?" Marcus asked in interest as they sat down on a bench near the gardens.

"Oh, well…" Ganya thought for a moment about how to skirt around the important parts with out seeming to. "I know the Garibaldi family. Michael is really good friends with my mum."

Marcus seemed surprised and delighted at this statement, but kept quiet wanting to know more. "David and Lillian Corwin are family friends. I can't remember what Lillian's maiden name was… but she was a doctor here for the longest time. Their son and Will, my brother, are about the same age." Ganya smiled joyfully as she ticked off all her friends on her fingers. "And the Franklins have a son their age I think, but we don't see him very often, they live on Earth." Marcus seemed about to laugh when she stopped him with a gentle hand on his.

"You can't tell them though. If people know too much about themselves in the future things can get messed up." He nodded in understanding and she became cheery again.

"Right, well… who else is there…" But the list would have to wait as they both looked up to notice a security officer standing over them.

"Ranger Cole, Commander Ivanova sent me to find you. She says she needs to speak with you as soon as possible about the Mars mission." He nodded and they both marched away. Ganya was going to slip away quietly to do a little solo exploration but Marcus caught her by the arm and took her along with him. She should have known that none of her stealth tricks would work on him. He had, after all, been the one to teach them to her.

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When they arrived outside Ivanova's office the security officer left them and they entered quietly. Susan was sitting at her desk sorting through war reports and files when she looked up to see the two in her door way.

"Marcus," She greeted stiffly then almost as an afterthought, "Ganya." Marcus sat down in the chair across from her and Ganya found a place on the sofa on the opposite wall and zoned out while the pair talked about pressing war issues.

Most of the mission that they were discussing was a childhood story to her, as was most of the earlier years of Babylon 5. She didn't have to understand the more colorful aspects of the event, only that she knew it would turn out well. This time left her to think. And think, and think.

Why she was here was the main question floating around in Ganya's head. She was raised to believe as the Minbari did, that everything happened for a reason. And if so, why would she have been sent to a time before her existence and a place that held so many people from her life in the future? _Is there something I need to do to insure the future? _

But her thoughts were cut short by the other occupants in the room rejoining her train of thought. "Ganya?" Marcus questioned. Ganya had the distinct feeling she'd just missed an important question and the unblinking stare of the two across the room made her blush rhubarb red.

"Sorry, run that by me again?" Her voice was slightly high as she tried not to make eye contact with Ivanova. It was ridiculous to think that a person she knew so well could make her so uncomfortable in a different setting.

"We were wondering… about this war." The Commander restated. She too seemed not to want to make eye contact.

Ganya looked slightly dismayed as she told them, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything about the war. It'd be too risky to give away the future's information like that."

Both adults looked briefly disappointed, but quickly got back into a conversation about ship rankings and schedules. Ganya couldn't help but watch the two as they worked. _Stranger things have happened, I'm sure, but what they are I haven't a clue._ She mused as she decided on a whim to do a little 'stretching.'

Letting down all of her mental barriers she reached out with the tiniest skirts of her mind and wondered a bit. On Minbar they no longer discriminated against telepaths in school, but they were required to take lessons on controlling their talents. Ganya put these lessons to use as she sensed the people around her, closing her eyes to heighten the feeling. Trying very hard not to disturb any thoughts lower than the surface, she brushed first against Marcus' mind.

She found echoing thoughts of worry and an underlying since of confusion with a strange mixture of determination. Then she moved on to Ivanova. In the past, or future depending on how you looked at it, Susan had always been very hard to scan for Ganya. She had so many blocks that it was like a labyrinth to get through. And in the past, or now rather, Ganya found those walls even high and stronger than when she knew the woman in her time.

Ganya was just going to slip out and back into her own thoughts when she accidentally touched a block. Ivanova knew immediately and became surprisingly alarmed in very little time at all. She jumped up from her seat and stood behind it as if to put more distance between them.

"Stop it!" She demanded with a glare that suggested sudden and painful death. Marcus blinked in extreme confusion at this but had no time to say anything. "Leave, right now." Susan breathed shallowly and did not take her eyes off of Ganya as she got up and slunk away quietly for fear of causing anymore trouble.

"What is it?" Ganya could hear Marcus asking Ivanova as she stood just outside the door.

"She's a telepath, she was scanning me!" Susan spat out this information as if it had a bad taste, Marcus said nothing, but stood there confused.

"But, why would she scan you? How did you know?" The poor man had no idea what was going on but it was pretty big he assumed by the fact that Ivanova was actually on the verge of tears as she put her face in her hands.

"Susan?" Marcus wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. If this surprised Ivanova at all she didn't know half the shock that Marcus got when she clenched her fingers tightly around the edges of his cape and fastened herself to him.

--- --- ---

Later Marcus sent a security officer to find Ganya and make sure she was okay while he walked with Ivanova to her quarters.

"I'm sorry about earlier. With everything that's going on right now with the war and John I guess I'm a little on edge." Susan apologized sheepishly as she let them into her quarters.

"Oh, don't be. It's alright. Everyone disserves the right to have a total breakdown every once in a while. I mean, take Valenn for example. He used to lock himself in a dark room every ninety days to insure that he remained sane." Susan laughed weakly through tired features at him and Marcus smiled as well.

After they'd settled down on the sofa Marcus asked, "So what exactly did get you so riled up to begin with?" At first he thought he'd hit a nerve but Susan answered willingly after a moment.

"I don't know. She reminds me of something I can't put my finger on." Susan told him quietly, referring to Ganya. "And when she scanned me it was almost like…" Susan blushed slightly and looked down at her hands for a second. "It reminded me of the connection my mother and I used to have."

Marcus smiled ever so slightly. _Did she just share an emotional piece of herself with me? _He was actually laughing gleefully to himself at this freshly turned leaf but decided that he valued his well-being far too much to tell her so.

"Well, as far as I'm concerned this whole time travel thing is a little to strange for me. Ganya says she knows most of the people here from her time. I have dirty secrets about many couples to be, including, Lieutenant Commander Corwin and a few of the medical staff."

Ivanova arched an eyebrow at this. "David, with whom?" Marcus was pleased that her curiosity was allowing her time away from the norm of her hectic life.

"One Doctor Lillian Hobbs. And they aren't the only ones who seem to have made it in the future. Ganya had a whole list of family friends to go through." Susan laughed happily as she thought about this strange coupling and wondered about the others.

"You really like Ganya don't you?" Susan asked more seriously now. Marcus smiled softly and pushed a stray tendril of hair away from her face.

"Yes, she reminds me very much of someone special." He said truthfully. Susan blushed when she realized just how close the Ranger was to her.

But, as usual her defense system kicked into gear and she pulled away. "It's getting late Marcus, you have an early start tomorrow maybe you should..."

"Oh, right." Susan cursed herself silently as they both rose from the sofa and walked to the door. Just before he left Susan stopped him with a gentle touch.

"Thank you. You have no idea how much you've helped me through. Good night." She thought very seriously about giving him a kiss but the battling voices in her head screamed very soundly the word, _NO!_

"Good night, fare lady, and you're welcome. Sleep well Susan." And he was gone, with a swish of his cape, around the corner and down the next hall.

_Next time._ She promised herself with little real hope, but there had to be something to look forward to, otherwise she had already given up on the cause behind the war, and the cause behind life.

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A/N: Mushy I know. This is actually a pretty G rated story right now. I'm impressed that no one's started cursing or throwing punches yet. TT I'm so proud of myself. pat on the back But anyways, pleaz review. I'm working on the rest right now and I should get this sucker updated pretty soon, so until then, Tschoos!

HIKARi


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: New chapii people, this is big news! But I've only got… less than an hour to write before I have to get to bed. Big day tomorrow, ya know. Anyways, remember to READ, REVIEW, AND MERRY!!!

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Chapter 3

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Ganya tucked herself into a small compartment otherwise used for cable storage on the White Star. If she was caught there'd be no hope for any of it.

After intense evaluation she'd come to the conclusion that what ever it was that threatened her future, it was on this last mission. The end of the war must have gone wrong somehow in this time, leading to the demise of her timeline.

She felt the vessel take off and waited a few moments longer. The ship vibrated intensely and a moment later they were in hyperspace. Ganya waited only as long as she could bear before crawling out of her hiding place. They wouldn't have time to send her back now. They would be far to busy with other things.

She slipped quietly out of that hallway and down another on route to the bridge when, "Hey, what are you doing here," _Busted_. She turned slowly to see the voice's owner.

Marcus was shocked to see the young girl there. How could she possibly have gotten on board without notice? She laughed nervously. "I learn from the best. After you all said I couldn't come I had to find a way on."

She could tell he was angry, "Why, don't you know how dangerous this could get?" He took her by the arm and frog marched her down the hall.

"Where are you taking me?" Ganya asked revealing far more unease than intended. "I don't like it when you're angry."

"Oh, you think I'm angry what till we find Ivanova." Marcus threatened looking at the girl's face. She wore a very familiar guarded look as she avoided his eyes. "You don't know the meaning of the word anger until you've done something like this under her watch." He explained as they made their way through the endless maze of corridors.

"No, don't do that!" Ganya said abruptly yanking her arm away from the ranger. She reverted back to her child-like state of defense and pleaded for a reprieve. "Mum doesn't need to know, I swear I'll stay out of the way!"

"I can't just…" He chocked on the words stumbling to a halt. "What?" Marcus asked looking completely shell shocked. Ganya clasped both hands to her mouth in horror. To late though, the damage had been done.

"Susan Ivanova is your mother?" Ganya seemed incapable of repairing the mistake and nodded her head slowly. Marcus was completely confused. It did make sense he supposed, in a very odd sort of way. Ganya was not at all a common name, reasonable to connect it to the Ivanov family. Not to mention the fact that Ganya resembled the Commander in many aspects both physical an characteristics wise.

"Don't tell anyone…please." Ganya begged. She felt tears well up in her eyes and suddenly felt a great sense of failure. What if this was what changed the future, what if she in fact, was erasing her past, the future. She backed up to the wall and slid down its surface burying her face in her hands as tears spilled over her face.

She waited for everything to be over, for it all to end. By law (supposedly) if the future were altered enough to cause the complete erasure of living being(s) while that being(s) was in a previous time period then the person's existence in that time would be terminated as well as in the future, their natural time.

"Ganya, please get up." She lifted her head in surprise when nothing happened. In stead of her apocalyptic extinguish she found Marcus crouched in front of her looking concerned. He held out his hand to her and she took it as he lifted her off of the deck.

"I won't turn you over to Susan. You've obviously been through to much already." He sighed, "No, I'll break it to her in private that you're on board. With any luck we'll both live to see the end of this day." Ganya smiled through sea green tear clouded eyes and Marcus realized he'd don't the right thing.

--- --- ---

"What!" Ivanova yelled from the other side of the desk. Marcus cringed just a bit. If he didn't do something quick to distract the Commander from her anger his premature death would be certain.

"She stowed away in one of the storage compartments while no one was looking. She's rather clever; the electrical interference in that area masked her signature from internal sensors." Marcus explained with a cheer in his voice he knew would annoy the woman.

"Marcus, please. We have to send her back to Babylon 5. It's too dangerous for her to be here. We're headed straight for a full on confrontation for god's sake!" Susan was starting to regard this girl as a pest. She caused nothing but trouble! _Just like Marcus, _she thought to herself.

"Yes, I told her that, but she seemed quite certain that this was the place she needed to be to preserve her future." Marcus said with a calm voice. Susan wasn't going to give in though.

"How is she so sure? What if whatever this event is that screws up her future has already happened?"

"Well, the way she explained it was that if she'd been erased in the future, then she wouldn't exist in this time either." Marcus told her suppressing a grin as her brow furrowed.

"What? How does that make any sense?" Marcus looked as though he was going to try to explain further, "Never mind, you know what? I don't want to know." She exhaled deeply sinking down into the chair behind the desk. "Just make sure she's somewhere safe during the battle. I don't want her to get hurt."

"Are you alright?" Ivanova detected the care and concern in his voice and her guard automatically fortified.

"I'm fine," she said straightening her posture in the seat taking on her usual guarded expression. Marcus smiled what must have been a very goofy smile as he realized, _she and Ganya have the exact same 'defense mode'. _

"What's so funny, Marcus?" Ivanova bit out when she noticed his expression. "I hardly think any of this is amusing." He stood and went to the door stopping for a moment and turned.

"If you only knew Susan, if you only knew." And with that cryptic reply he was gone.

--- --- ---

A/N: Whew… finished! I didn't know I could type so much in so little time. Now I feel like a total slacker for not writing like this all the time. V.V Anyways, next chapii as soon as I can, I've got one more week of school before Christmas break, so expect a cookie or two in the near future!

Tschoos!!!

HIKARi


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Wow, this is actually a lot longer than I'd originally thought it would be. Mutti always says that I might as well be writing novels for all the chapiis it takes to write a story. Anyways, thanx for reviews, I really do love them a lot! Keep on reading and reviewing! Many virtual chocolates to those who do!

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Chapter 4

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Ganya had always known that her mother was a fierce woman. She'd heard plenty of stories from Uncle Mike and Steven (not to mention she'd lived with the woman for the passed sixteen years) but this was scary!

She sat in a corner of the bridge keeping an eye on everything. Something Ivanova was very quick to protest to, but it seemed that Marcus had convinced her that they should let Ganya stay, somehow.

"Keep firing." The Commander yelled at the bridge crew over the crashes and explosions from outside.

"Susan!" Ganya turned her head to see Marcus at the weapons station.

"If we let them get away they'll come back stronger." Ivanova insisted. She glanced momentarily at the corner where Ganya sat with an odd expression on her face then she rose from her seat to stand in the forward bridge.

Ganya stared at the happenings around her wide eyed. She'd never seen real war up close and personal before. Combat and conflicts of course, it was part of her training, but this … completely different.

"Enemy forces are surrendering," Marcus announced as the noises outside seemed to subdue greatly. "The rest of the ships are being taken care of."

Ganya stood slowly looking out the view port. There was debris everywhere outside. It looked eerie, like a graveyard (which technically it was) she thought.

She could hear people in the bridge around her talking and moving about, but she was preoccupied with other thoughts. If this wasn't when what ever was going to go wrong happened, then when? And wasn't that very large piece of metal getting awfully close?

"Uh… Anla'shok Cole?" Ganya called out to him with a little squeak in her voice she had not intended. Marcus' gaze drifted to her and then followed her line of sight.

"Susan, look out!" Ganya wasn't even aware of people fleeing as the scrape hit the ship head on. She braced herself against the corner of hull she'd been sitting in and next moment found her self thrown to the deck.

She jumped back to her feet avoiding a piece of falling pipe line from the ceiling. Looking around wildly she spotted the Commander on the deck as well, only she wasn't getting up. Ganya looked up as a loud creaking noise issued from above. The entire room was collapsing.

Without any more time to think she ran to where the woman lay unconscious on the deck slid to the floor on her knees and took the Den'bok from her belt. Another loud crack and the ceiling gave way. Timing it as precisely as she could, Ganya released the pike vertically.

--- --- ---

Kicking the fallen bulkhead away Marcus crawled out from underneath the con he'd ducked under for protection. Scanning the room quickly he found what he was looking for.

"Ganya," He called pulling away another piece of ruble. He found her crouched underneath with her pike extended holding up the larger pieces that threatened to crush both women.

"Mum's hurt!" She yelled over the pops and clicks of the damaged ship around them. "I can't wake her up." Marcus knelt under the pile of scrape and pulled the unconscious Ivanova from underneath. Once she was out Ganya scooted carefully from underneath the wreckage. Then retracting her Den'bok as quickly as possible she pulled it from the pile before it collapsed completely.

"Come on, everyone's boarding the life pods. We need to get out of here before the entire ship goes!" Marcus explained holding Susan in his arms. They retreated together in time to catch the last pod before it ejected. Ganya watched numbly out of the small view port of the pod as the White Star exploded spectacularly behind them.

--- --- ---

Susan stirred slightly in her sleep and then slowly opened her eyes. There was a rustling noise to her left and then a face appeared looming over her.

"You're awake! Are you alright?" Ganya asked eagerly. Susan groaned sitting up slowly. Surveying her surroundings she realized that they were in Babylon 5's med-facilities.

"What happened?" Ivanova asked rubbing her throbbing head. Ganya pulled her chair up closer to the bed and leaned her elbows on the rail.

"The ship was hit with a piece of stray debris, everything fell apart after that. You got hit in the head with something. Doctor Franklin says it was only a minor concussion." The girl explained hastily looked at her uneasily as if to double check.

"I'm fine," Ivanova assured her, "Where is everyone else?" Ganya still didn't seem convinced that she was well but answered anyways.

"They all went on to Earth. Steven stayed behind, but he's down in Med-lab five attending to other wounded. Ranger Cole isn't here either; he went on with the rest." Ganya explained thoroughly.

Susan was just about to protest the assumption that she was inquiring about Marcus but something else surfaced in her memories. "Did you stop what ever it was that was going to change your future?" At this Ganya looked very annoyed.

"I'm not sure, actually. I thought I did, but if I had then I would have been sent back to my normal time period, but, as we can all see, I haven't." She answered with a crisp tone that implied frustration. "I can see why time travel's such an overrated bugger. It's hard!" Susan laughed at the girl's words. Despite the fact that she was a complete pain, she couldn't help but feel a certain sense of familiarity for Ganya.

Ganya's face turned suddenly from annoyed to sorrowful. "What's wrong?" Susan asked, the softness in her voice surprising even her.

"Oh, nothing, homesick I suppose. I miss my brother and sister, really." She pulled at a stray thread in the sheet distractedly.

"Tell me about them." Susan said scooting her legs up and patting the space at the other end of the bed for her to sit. Ganya looked confused but Susan went on. "Some times when you miss something talking about it helps you feel better. So… tell me about them."

Ganya looked uneasy for a second, then conceded and crawled up onto the end of the bed facing the older woman. "Well, my older sister's name is Isabelle, but we call her Izzy. She's really smart and funny. And William, my younger brother, is a total pain, but he's alright I guess. He's a little less than three years younger than Izzy and me."

"How old is Isabelle?" Susan inquired trying to keep the girl going; it seemed to help her a good deal.

"Oh, she's sixteen too. Did I mention we're twins?" Ganya asked off hand. Susan shook her head amused. "Oh, well yeah, anyway, I just call her older because she was born first. We're thirteen minutes apart, I think." Ganya stopped for a minute realizing how strange it was to be explaining this to her own mother, but, like she always said, stranger things have happened.

"And your parents," Susan asked trying to slip that in unnoticed. She, like the others was interested to know who these two people were, seeing as they were more than likely people that they already knew if they lived on B5.

"Oh, well…" Ganya smiled inwardly. Everyone was so intent on knowing, it was almost to amusing to bear. "Mum's Military, she worked for Earthforce for a long time, but now she's Vice President for the Inter Stellar Alliance."

"So John's plans actually pull through?" Susan asked incredulously. Ganya nodded with a small smile. "Good for him."

"And Papa is in the process of appealing to the council. He's a Ranger." She explained giving Ivanova a stiff sideways look, like she was tottering on the edge of revealing something.

Susan was confused for a moment, but then something seemed to light up in her brain. "He's a Ranger?" Ganya nodded slowly fighting against a smile. "And he lives on Babylon 5 now?" Again Ganya nodded. "Oh my god, its Marcus isn't it!"

"I didn't say…" Ganya tried to keep a straight face but Susan was laughing.

"It is, wow, I guess he finally got his dream girl." Ivanova thought about it for a moment and was surprised to feel slightly disappointed.

"What?" Ganya inquired with a tilt of her head.

"Nothing, Marcus told me about this dream girl of his once, someone who he was after, but didn't know it yet." Ganya laughed out loud at this and Susan gave her a questioning look.

"Don't look so disappointed." Ganya teased the Commander. At this Steven entered with a warm greeting catching both women's attention.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake, Commander. We were starting to wonder if you'd sleep forever." He smiled and picked up a chart from the end table.

"How long was I out?" Susan asked remembering what was actually going on.

"Almost thirty-four hours." Susan's mouth dropped open slightly at this. She looked from Steven to Ganya and back again.

"What's been happened, what did I miss?" Steven signed something on the chart he held and put it in the slot by the door motioning for both to follow him.

"John went on to Earth right after you were injured. They ran into some trouble at Mars, but for the most part…" He took a breath there seeming intent on keeping Ivanova hanging. "We won. Sheridan's pitching the Alliance idea right about now actually. They should be back with in the next three or four days."

Susan exhaled in exasperation and relief. The war was over… finally! "That's good news I guess." She rubbed her temples sorely.

"Go home Susan. You still look tired. Ganya you should rest to. There's gonna be ten kinds of hell and confusion around here when John gets back." Both women nodded and exited the med-lab silently.

--- --- ---

Ganya sat in the E sized quarters she'd been assigned meditating. This whole business of time travel was starting to get on her nerves. Now, not only was she not any closer to correcting the path of her future, but both of her parents knew who the other was. It was a shame they didn't realize that they together were the couple.

The company that had gone on to Earth would be back within the next day, apparently the Earth Alliance officials took to John Sheridan's pitch, the League of non-aligned worlds was now the Inter Stellar Alliance and Commander Ivanova had even been promoted to Captain.

Ganya laughed to herself at the realization of how fast things could flip-flop from one day to the next. This whole ordeal was more than she ever dreamed of being a part of. "I just want to get out of here." She spoke to the empty room.

"I know just how you feel child." The voice of a stranger broke her silent thought session. Ganya jumped from the bed she sat on and looked around wildly hand flying to the Den'bok at her belt. Searching the room she found a familiar face materialize on the side opposite her.

"Draal!" Ganya exclaimed recognizing the friendly Minbari face. "What are you doing here?"

He laughed deeply at her tone of voice and called her to him with a wave of his hand. "Come here child, I must speak with you." They sat down on the bed and he sighed deeply.

"You have been put in a very difficult situation, Ganya." He started staring down at his entwined fingers. Already Ganya knew she wouldn't like what he had to say.

"What you did on the White Star was the right thing, although that one action that saved Susan Ivanova's life set off a chain of reactions that are not in any way proportionate." He explained solemnly.

"So I have to do more now?" Ganya asked, her heart sinking terribly at the thought of spending even more time away from her natural time and family.

"Much more I'm afraid. But I can not talk about it here, you must come down to the planet below, there I will explain everything you need to do to insure your future." His figure began to fade at the indulgence of these words.

"But, how will I get down there? Things around here aren't exactly calm and collected right now." She said sarcastically.

"Look to those you love. They are always the key." And with that said he vanished completely.

Ganya flopped back down on her bed and buried her face in the cover growling in annoyance at the riddling Minbari. Then once she'd calmed down enough to think the answer to his riddle appeared.

"Agh, he couldn't have just said it straight out now could he?!" She snapped as she exited the room in haste.

--- --- ---

A/N: Hmmmm… maybe I should have made that last part another chapii… oh well. Sorry about the big fluffy part in the middle there, I just couldn't help it! (Can't. Resist!!!) Anyways, pleaz review… it makes me smile.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!! (My bad, I'm 42 minutes late... happy january 2nd. There, how's that?)

HIKARi


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Hallo all, new chapii! This is updated specially for Talex Wyldcard, though for me to post the next chapter I would like at LEAST 2 reviews, pleaz. The transport "Widdershins" is not in the actual B5 story. I made it up, feel free to borrow. I've never seen the fifth season so I don't know exactly what happens or what ever. If some one would take the time to explain, I would be very grateful. ) Thanx for reviews, keep 'um coming, I'll keep writing…

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Chapter 5

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"Please, I need to see him!" Ganya pleaded with Ivanova for the umpteenth time. "If I don't I won't be able to save my time line, please!" She was rather miffed at the lack of co-operation she had been met with the last hour.

"I'm sorry, but there's no time right now. Isn't there someone else you can ask, what about Marcus?" Susan protested searching the breakfast bar in her quarters for her com link.

Ganya stood obstinate in the door way of the Captain's quarters. "I already tried that. He told me to come to you!" Susan looked up to see the young girl's face set with anger and determination. She wasn't going to take no for an answer, not now. "Please." Ganya added with a note of desperation in her voice.

Susan's resolve faltered for a moment at the look in her eyes then broke all together. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. It will take time though." Ganya nodded in understanding and moved out of the door way so that Ivanova could pass.

"Thank you Captain, it means a lot to me." She flashed a small but bright smile and whisked off down the corridor to prepare. Susan sighed deeply, if this would get the girl out from under her feet then fine. Now she just had to find someone willing to go down to the planet with Ganya, _Yeah... right. _

--- --- ---

Ganya sat in the co-pilot's chair of the small transport looking out of the window intently. The Captain sat in the pilot's seat next to her guiding the ship down to the planet below.

"I didn't mean to cause you any inconvenience, Captain. I though you would get someone else to come along…" She had intended on persuading Marcus to come along, intrigued by the way her father acted in this time period. Her mother was fairly unchanged over the years, possible a little more laid back in the future, but Marcus was so much more… caged, for lack of a better word.

"Its fine, I could have come with you or done more paperwork. It wasn't a hard decision." Susan said giving the girl a reassuring smile. Ganya nodded blankly for a moment not particularly thinking of anything relevant.

"Why is Ranger Cole so depressed all the time?" Ganya asked all of a sudden surprising both herself and Ivanova.

"How do you mean?" Susan spared a glance at Ganya while maneuvering the small shuttle into the fault leading down to the great machine.

"For the sixteen years I've known him," Ganya explain, "In the future anyways, he has always had a very cheerful and almost impossibly sunny disposition. Here he's just… sad."

Ivanova landed the shuttle smoothly on the landing pad and shut down all the systems. "Sad? I don't think I've every seen Marcus any less than annoyingly cheerful except for probably once. But that was an extreme circumstance." She contradicted opening the hatch.

"Yes but that's because he…" Ganya trailed off abruptly and blushed crimson. Susan was just about to ask her what she was going to say when Draal came into view.

--- --- ---

The old Minbari led both women deeper into the machine until they reached the very heart where Draal's body powered the machine's core. "I'm glad to see that you have wasted no time getting here." Draal spoke amusedly as he stopped at a small console against the wall that held his physical body.

"I didn't want to risk taking to long," Ganya explained looking back to the captain. She was keeping a courteous distance between herself and the other two but was not sparing them from her intense stare.

"Yes, well, down to business then. You wanted to know exactly what it is you need to do in order to secure your future." Draal stated matter-of-fact. "You haven't been telling anyone who your parents are or any other details about the future have you?" He inquired staring down at her with a scathing look.

"Of cour…" She started to say, faltered then continued looking very sheepish, "If I said no would you believe me?" Ganya asked rather lamely. The old Minbari looked as though he would become very upset but suddenly, to Ganya's bewilderment, he laughed hardily.

"Not to worry child, they would have figured out in their own time anyway. Although I can't imagine how anyone could overlook the obvious. You look so much like Captain Ivanova I have grown to wonder whether they are not all blind." He laughed again.

Ganya jerked her head up sharply at the mention of her mother's identity in her presence, but when she dared look at the Captain there was no sign of surprise or even recognition. Ganya frowned up at the still chuckling Minbari.

"Don't worry child, she can not hear us. I have erected a force field. She will not be able to see what I show you either." He pressed a sequence of controls on the board of the computer imbedded in the wall.

It fizzled and popped and then the screen cleared to a distorted image. It was of Earth; along the bottom of the screen was a series of numbers and strange letters that Ganya assumed was the date and origin of the record, like the serial number on data crystal records.

"The Great Machine has been recording many things coming through the time distortion in sector fourteen since your arrival. I think you will find this one most informative." Draal stated slowly.

Ganya looked on intently understanding that what ever this record would show had to do with her job here in the past. It was quiet for at least a minute. She could see that the defense grid was damaged and non-operational at the time of the records creation. Suddenly a ship appeared in the view provided. It zoomed passed and around the horizon of the planet. Then another followed suit, then another, and another. One ship after another they came into view. Ganya realized as she watched anxiously that they were creating a net of ships around the planet.

"Are those…" Ganya had just begun to ask when the ships surrounding the planet began stirring in unison. Each ship was equipped with what looked like a variation of solar panels. Slowly each panel opened and they began dispersing what looked like wispy black clouds.

Ganya clapped her hand to her mouth in horror. "This is the Drakh attack on Earth isn't it?" She asked with out taking her eyes off of the screen.

"Yes," Draal sighed deeply. The record lasted another few seconds before shutting its self off automatically.

"And… but wait," Ganya said regaining her senses after the shock of seeing the record. The Drakh war had in fact been something learned in EA history but Ganya had never before actually seen the recordings of the attack. It was something not many people cared to look back on.

"What does this have to do with my future? The ISA and Earth Alliance defeated the Drakh and their shadows before I even learned to talk."

"Yes, child, but the attack happened before you were born. And some of the people you know were on Earth when the Drakh ships attacked correct?" He seemed to be leading her in the desired direction, but she could have been walking north in space for all the good it did her understanding.

"Yes, Steven Franklin was on Earth when it happened…" She said slowly as Draal fiddled with the computer some more and drew away from it again. There was a crew and passenger manifest on screen. She skimmed it quickly. The top read "Passenger Transport Widdershins" Crew complement- 7 Passenger capacity- 65. It then proceeded to name the crew and passengers.

"This was Steven's transport vessel." Ganya stated running her eyes over the rest of the list after finding the doctor's name. "I still don't understand what this has…" She stopped as she came across another familiar name.

Listed just underneath Darcy McMillan – Edgar's Industry Rep, the last on the list, was the name Marcus Cole – Ranger/ Babylon 5. Ganya was sure her heart had stopped.

"But Draal, Papa wasn't on Earth during the Attack. He was…" Her heart seemed to restart in her throat this time.

"On Babylon 5 with your mother, yes, I know what events dictated the plot of your future, unfortunately they have been changed." He said clearing the computer screen again and turning the console off completely.

"So, I have to make sure Papa doesn't get on that transport with Steven?" She asked incredulously. Draal nodded. She had just opened her mouth to ask another question, but he stopped her with a raised hand.

"I am sorry child, but you can not stop Doctor Franklin from boarding. He will be needed on Earth during the years of the quarantine, but do not despair." He said kindly raising her lowered chin with a gentle hand. "You already know he will survive, he is after all your godfather in the future." This thought did help lighten her load immensely.

"So all I have to do is stop Ranger Cole from getting on that transport…" Ganya smiled triumphantly at the easy task she saw ahead of her. "How hard could that possibly be?"

--- --- ---

A/N: That question shouldn't ever be asked… ever!!! It's a one way ticket to a pad-locked JINX! . Anyways… pleaz review, many virtual happy things for the kind souls who do. All I need is 2 and you can have the next chapter. A very fair price if you ask me! Later then.

HIKARi


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Tag, Wie geht's?! anyways… down to business then, reviews were loverly, pleaz continue. )

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Chapter 6

--- --- ---

As Draal walked them back to the transport all was silent. No one spoke as they entered the docking bay and made for the ship. Ivanova went ahead into the transport to power up all systems while Draal held Ganya back for a last word.

"Remember child, if you do not succeed then there will be no hope. There are no second chances in this matter." Ganya, who had been contemplating with an aching intensity about the situation, looked up alarmed.

"Right, no pressure then," She said sarcastically with a forced laugh. Some warnings seemed completely of the opposite effect that their issuer's intended. This, Ganya thought, was a perfect example.

"Not to worry child," Draal laughed again taking her by the shoulders into a warm embrace. "I have every confidence in you."

"Right, well…" Not quiet knowing what to say she smiled gratefully at the kind old Minbari and mounted the ramp of the shuttle. "Goodbye Draal and thank you very much for your help."

"Yes, yes, always a pleasure, oh, one more thing before you go," His smile fading slightly. Ganya had the distinct feeling that these words would be of no comfort either.

"I must emphasize the importance that you precede with care," He said looking up momentarily at the sight of the Captain coming up behind Ganya. "But I must also remind you that time its self can be deceiving. Here one minute and gone the next. I suggest you use it wisely." He added giving her a significant look.

With this said Draal's image faded in a slow blur until he had completely vanished. Ganya could feel her confidence plummet, "Oh no."

"Ready to go," Ivanova asked behind her causing Ganya to jump. She looked around sharply and opened her mouth to speak, but instead faltered and blushed again. Something Susan realized she did a lot around her.

--- --- ---

"What do you mean _don't go_?" Marcus asked days later when Ganya finally found time to confront the ranger in his time between activities.

"Exactly what it sounds like," She said under her breath when he'd turned his back to find something. "Look, I can't tell you, but I think you should stay here, don't go to Earth with Doctor Franklin, please?" She tried a very subtle and calm approach. One she knew probably wouldn't work.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand." He was smiling bemusedly. "But I have too, I already told Delenn I would, Ranger's business. Besides, I promised Steven I'd sing a new song for him, wouldn't want to disappoint." He was smiling again to himself and seemed to think the discussion was closed as they both exited the room and entered the corridor beyond.

Ganya tailed him trying very hard to think of something to stop him. "Wait!" She said suddenly and he stopped in his tracks just in front of her. "Challenge!"

"What?" Marcus laughed. She glared at him with total determination and he stopped realizing that she was serious. "You mean with a Den'bok?" Ganya jerked her head in conformation. "I… I can't spar with you," He spluttered as Ganya gripped him hard above the elbow and dragged him off down the hall.

"Marcus! I got back the DNA results and…" Steven Franklin had just rounded the corner at the other end of the hall and now stared confused as Ganya haled the Ranger away.

"Steven," Marcus called as they passed the doctor up and turning the corner. "Help, I'm being abducted!" Steven chuckled and turned to follow them back down the hall.

Ganya stopped in front of a pair of doors that slid open automatically and she guided Marcus in while Steven followed behind them. The room turned out to be a combat hall. She'd led them to the gym and recreation area.

"What's this all about?" Steven asked as Ganya pulled out her Den'bok.

"Come on, I mean it, draw your pike." Ganya demanded extending her own as she spoke. Marcus looked at Steven uncertainly as he drew his pike and extended it. Immediately Ganya struck out at him.

Marcus only just blocked the hit as the girl recoiled and made ready to strike again. "You're serious aren't you?" Marcus asked raising his guard fully now. The blow could have easily knocked him silly had he not stopped it.

"Finally, you get it," Ganya said exasperated. "I name the terms. It is, after all, my challenge." She said as the two circled each other in ready stance.

She swung her pike again just for good measure missing as the Ranger brought his Den'bok up to protect his shoulder. "If I lose, you can go when and where ever you like." Ganya explained advancing slowly on her prey.

"And if you win?" Marcus asked blocking another blow. By studying her form he realized that it was almost flawless in design and the strength behind each strike was incredible for someone so small.

"You don't go to Earth." She said bluntly, pausing for a moment to hear his reply. Marcus inclined his head slightly to show his agreement. "Good." Ganya smiled and attacked head on.

Marcus didn't have any time to think as the petite girl launched a ruthless assault on him. "Who did you learn to fight from?" Marcus panted as they paused for a moment after another volley of blows one of which found him off guard catching a blow to one of his ribs.

"Sech Turval," Ganya answered ending the break with another swing of her pike, "and my father."

"Really, and who might I ask is your father?" Ganya smiled at him mischievously catching him off guard. His defense faltered for only a moment, but that was all the time Ganya needed. She arched up with the pike intending to catch his jaw when he surprised her with a swift dodge, crouched down and swung one leg out from under him, catching her at the ankles and knocking her to the ground.

He straightened up again and looked down on her retracting his pike. "Look, let's stop this here. You obviously don't want to give up, but I don't want to hurt you." He said breathing deeply to catch his breath. For a split second he thought she would concede, then a strange expression crossed her face and instantly he knew he'd made a mistake. Before his brain had a chance to tell the rest of his body to move Ganya swung one leg out in a strong and swift sweep catching the ranger at the knees and knocking him on his back.

Ganya jumped to her feet again and lowered her pike to his chest as if to deliver the death strike, as was ceremony in a Den'bok challenge. "I won't give up." She stated breathlessly, her eyes sparkling with laughter and the bliss of victory. "And _you_ are staying here."

--- --- ---

"You lost to a kid?" Sheridan asked trying to mask his mirth as others at the table laughed openly. Marcus sat with his arms crossed defiantly in the booth across the table.

"She hits hard!" Marcus protested indignantly. This only made them laugh harder. Nothing had been bruised to badly during his spar with Ganya except perhaps his ego and a few ribs. Susan sat to his left biting her lip and trying her hardest to keep from laughing as well. Marcus only relented on his huffy-ness when he saw the laughter in her eyes. _They look so much alike, I can't imagine how anyone has missed the similarity,_ Marcus wondered fondly smiling back at her.

"So," John said once the fits of laughter had subsided a bit more. "Steven, did you get those blood tests back yet or not?" Everyone at the table seemed to lean in on this note. Even Delenn, who sat on John's left, looked slightly apprehensive.

Franklin looked up sharply from the table and stared at the eager crowd for a moment. He had in fact found a blood type match, it had taken him the better part of two weeks to go through the entirety of Babylon's staff and personnel medical records but he had managed it.

Now he wondered whether or not he should have just let it be. He'd nearly fallen out of his chair upon reading the results and even then had to retest six times before believing it at all. Franklin could only imagine how they'd react when he told them.

"No, not yet," Steven lied quickly. _I'll tell her later… alone… with a security detail standing by… just in case,_ Franklin thought to himself. Everyone (except for Marcus and Susan) seemed slightly disappointed.

--- --- ---

Ganya sat on the small bed in her quarters thinking. _Time its self can be deceiving, _the ominous words rang in her mind. "Okay," She addressed the empty room out loud. "I've stopped Papa from totally throwing my future down the drain. _Here one minute, gone the next, _the words were like a panic seeping through her veins to every inch of her body.

"No, need to panic," She said aloud again her voice squeaking slightly. She cleared her throat determinedly and breathed deeply. Thinking back to days before on the return flight from Epsilon three, Ganya had asked, ever so discreetly, what Ivanova thought about Ranger Cole.

"He is a very loyal friend," She had answered softly. A loyal friend… _ Friend?_ Friend wasn't gonna cut it here! Ganya got to her feet and paced around the small room.

"I said I'd help correct the time line," Ganya stated fiercely to the ceiling as if talking to a higher being. "But I never agreed to play match-maker!" She could imagine the gods of irony laughing their fool heads off at her right now and sighed sitting back down on the bed.

--- --- ---

It was very late when Ganya finally found her self able to face the challenge again, exiting her quarters at 0:15 hours she went off in search of Ranger Cole. She was surprised that it was so simply as to find him in his quarters seeing how he was never exactly on hand.

She rang the door chime in front of his quarters and didn't have to wait long for him to answer. "Ganya, what are you doing here, it's one-thirty in the morning." The confused Ranger said answering the door.

"I know," Ganya said hastily looking around the hall to make sure no one was there. "But I need to talk to you… now." Marcus still looked confused, but he stepped aside to let her in anyways and closed the door silently behind her.

"Steven knows," Ganya said abruptly without preamble. "He knows that the Captain is my mother." Ganya twisted the hem of her robe sleeve while trying to think of what to say next.

"Yes I know, He told me just before he left for Earth this afternoon." Marcus explained looking slightly sheepish. Ganya felt a small twang of guilt about letting the Doctor go to Earth, but quickly put that aside in light of the current situation.

"Delenn knows as well. I didn't mean for her to find out, but she all but beat it out of me when she heard Steven and me talking about it." Ganya smiled grimly at this information.

"So that means John Sheridan knows as well. Great, that'll make my job easy." She said sarcastically. "Look, I need to ask you…" She continued diving straight into the main purpose of this night time visit. "What's the situation with you and my mum?" Marcus looked completely and utterly confused and a little defensive at this question.

"Well?" Ganya prodded impatiently when he did not answer. Marcus seemed to be thinking very hard for a moment then replied.

"Why do you want to know? What could this possibly have to do with…" Ganya was beginning to lose her temper now as all the stress of the past weeks began to cave on her.

"Just answer the bloody question!" She demanded. Marcus stood stalk still in surprise then slowly he complied.

"I donno… we're friends I guess. I've thought about something more a few times, but she wasn't interested… why?" Ganya was looking completely crest fallen at his words. _Friends… just friends! What's wrong with you people?! _Marcus was growing more confused by the minute as they stood in silence.

"E' Fel Sah." Ganya said quietly. Marcus bristled and opened his mouth to speak but was too taken aback to say anything.

"I don't think that's really any of your business." He said coolly a moment later. Ganya laughed shortly at his words though Marcus failed to see the amusement in them.

"Well, do you? Just answer my question… if you do, I'll answer yours." Ganya baited him slowly.

"Oh? And what question would that be?" Marcus asked crossing his arms over his chest defiantly raising an eyebrow.

"Who my father is," She could see the process of decision going on in his head, she could feel his curiosity and emotion tugging at his resolve and knew she was winning.

"Yes," He said finally and confidently, "I do very much." Ganya smiled gratefully feeling that the _just friends_ problem was not as big as she feared.

"Ranger Cole, your mother's name was Marie, right?" Ganya asked bracing herself up both mentally and physically. Marcus looked taken aback again.

"S'right, how did you know?" Ganya fiddled with something on her wrist and removed a piece of glittering silver from it and held it out for him to examine.

"My full name," She said as Marcus held the bracelet up to the light to see the engraving. "Ganya, after my mother's older brother, and Marie," Her voice was growing softer and softer as she explained it to him. "After my father's mother, both of which I never had the privilege of meeting."

Marcus' heart pounded as the realization rushed through him at a dizzying speed. "And your last name?" He asked looking down at the girl's beaming face in the dim light of his quarters.

Ganya smiled warmly and replied proudly, "Cole."

--- --- ---

A/N: YEA HAW!!! Now that we've finally gotten to the climax of the story it's all down hill, smooth sailing from here… Tch… yeah right, anyways… REVIEW pleaz or I will not write any more, I mean it!!! (No I don't, I'll write anyways, but it would be nice if you reviewed, eh?) (P.S. E' Fel Sah either means "you love her" or "do you love her?" I can't quite remember which. )

HIKARi


	8. Chapter 7

A

A/N: Its been FOREVER! I'm so sorry, but i completely forgot about this story (bad hikari!) but to make up for it... Chapter 7! I hope y'all like this story so far; thanx so much for all the reviews. ) Anyways, now that Ganya has finally let the secret out what will happen? Keep on reviewing and I'll keep on writing!

-- -- --

Chapter 7

-- -- --

Ivanova was in her office going through _more_ paperwork, (apparently it had multiplied over night) early the next morning when Ganya came rushing in unannounced taking Susan by surprise.

"Captain," The young girl panted as she clutched a stitch in her side looking as if she had just run the length of the station in a very short time. "Have you seen Ranger Cole?"

"No," Susan answered getting to her feet. She gave Ganya a moment to breath before going on. "Why, what's wrong?"

Ganya made an odd growling noise in frustration and sank to the floor where she brought her knees to her chest and proceeded to pull her long curly hair in frustration. "Ganya, come on don't do that, get up." She demander calmly after she'd gotten over the initial surprise. "Why are you trying to find Marcus?" Susan asked again after she'd helped Ganya up off the floor and into a chair.

"I need to talk to him, he ran off on me last night and now I can't find him anywhere!" Her expression was a mixture of anger and despair. Moisture threatened the rims of her bright green eyes as she spoke.

"What do you mean he ran off?" Susan asked trying to calm the girl as she sat down in the chair next to Ganya.

"I mean, we were talking and I told him a few things that he might not have been…" Ganya stopped to find the right words, "Totally prepared for." Susan raised an eyebrow at this.

"You told him he was your father." Susan commented more than asked like she had intended. Ganya nodded as more tears threatened to fall. "And he didn't take it well?" _Of course he didn't take it well! Honestly, if some teen from the future came back to before they were born to seek me out and tell me they were my kid I'd probably freak to!_ Susan thought fairly as Ganya nodded her head.

"Well, If I know Marcus," Susan said getting back to her feet and going back behind her desk, "He's probably in down below cleaning out a few bars or something." She said rolling her eyes disapprovingly. "That's where you'll find him."

Ganya jumped to her feet and headed for the door. But before she could get any further than a few paces the Captain stopped her. "Ganya," She turned to see Ivanova standing in front of her desk with a smirk holding something metallic in her hand. "If you need anything, use this." She tossed what turned out to be a com link into the air which Ganya caught quickly. "Down below isn't the best place for anyone let alone you."_ Although I have no doubt you can take care of yourself, _Susan reminded herself.

"Thank you, I'll be careful I promise." Ganya smiled mischievously attaching the link to the back of her hand and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Ganya," Ivanova called just as she got to the door. Ganya turned around again. "If anyone finds out you were in down below, I didn't send you." Ganya smiled again and winked before she turned and was gone.

-- -- --

Once in down below Ganya didn't have too hard a time finding the Ranger in question. When she was certain no one of any consequence was around she let down every mental barrier in her mind leaving only a few filters to keep the stray thoughts from overwhelming her.

Once done all she had to do was close in on her father's thought patters, something she knew how to do by second nature. When she came to the place were the signal was strongest she stopped short. She was standing at the entrance to what was probably the dimmest and most depressing cantina this side of the rim. Walking in Ganya found a lone figure standing amongst a body strewn floor.

"Whoa," Ganya said impressed at the odds of what must have been a very exciting brawl. "When Mum said you liked to clean out down below she really meant it!" Marcus turned around sharply at the sound of her voice his hand going for his belt. When he realized who it was he relaxed again and strode out of the bar without so much as a word.

"Great." Ganya said under her breath as she followed quickly behind him. "Hey, Ranger Cole…" He continued to walk without the slightest sign that he'd heard her at all. "Ranger… _Papa_!" She felt bad for using the title as a weapon, but was pleased none-the-less when it worked. Marcus stopped just outside the door of the establishment bristling. Cautiously, Ganya skirted around him to see his face. She couldn't tell if he was angry, or maybe even a little scared.

"I'm sorry," Marcus said after a long moment of silence. He wasn't looking at her, but at least he was acknowledging her presence. Ganya raised an eyebrow in question and he continued. "I didn't mean to run off and leave you hanging out to dry, but, to be fair, you weren't exactly gentle about telling me…" He trailed off and stood silent again.

"It's alright, I understand, but there are some things I need to talk to you about, important things… please?" She asked quietly trying to catch his eye. Marcus nodded slowly and Ganya took his hand smiling. "Come on, let's get out of here."

-- -- --

They walked in silence back up to the main station and continued on to the habitat area were they entered Ganya's quarters without notice. Ganya pulled a chair from one corner up to the edge of the bed and gestured for him to sit. He complied without a word and she took a seat on the bed across from him.

Ganya almost cringed at the emotions that the Ranger was broadcasting, confusion, discomfort, fear, shock, all chasing each other around and battling for supremacy. Skillfully, Ganya replaced all her mental blocks before continuing.

"So…" Now that she had him where she needed she couldn't think of how to start. "Well… I know how uncomfortable this is, and trust me, it isn't any easier for me. But, I have a very short amount of time to set things right and I need your help."

Marcus was listening, not taking in much, but he was trying. Everything felt very strange right now, surreal even. This girl was his daughter from the future… she was asking him to help correct her time line, Susan was… Marcus tried very hard to shoo that thought away before he blushed too intensely.

"So…" Ganya continued wringing her hands in her lap. "Not to sound like a shrink or whatever, but, why haven't you told Mum?" Marcus really did blush this time. Trying as best he could to avoid Ganya's eyes he stammered through the next few words.

"I told you… she's not interested." He saw Ganya's face go from uncomfortable to annoyed in little more than a second.

"And where do you think I came from? I didn't just pop out of the ground, neither did Izzy, or Will! You went to high school, I'm sure you studied biology, you must know how this stuff works!" Marcus didn't know whether to laugh or not. Ganya glared daggers at him dissuading him from such actions.

"Okay," Marcus agreed shortly, "but maybe it doesn't work out in this time line. Maybe…" Ganya growled and shook her head violently.

"This isn't some parallel universe! This is my time line and if you don't do something really quick, I won't exist anymore. I don't know about you, but that is going to make me very cranky!" Ganya was so angry she was letting some of her emotion broadcast. She was sure if her mother had been there she would have been able to confirm how angry and sincere Ganya was being.

"Well, what do you want me to do? I can't just waltz up to her and say, Hullo Susan, lovely day, oh and by the way, I've come to confess my undying love to you and seal the fate of this time line for us… She'd space me before anyone even knew what happened!" Marcus was becoming angry as well with the impossible situation presented him.

"Why not, why is it so hard to tell her?" Ganya asked her voice losing its anger and growing softer now. She looked at him pleadingly for a moment before he turned away.

"I don't know if you've met your mother," Marcus answered with a soft note of amusement in his voice. "But she can be rather intimidating at times." Ganya laughed quietly at this comment.

"Mum always said you were scared of her, that's how she got her way all the time." Marcus looked up with slight indignation before laughing as well. Another moment passed. "Don't you want that?" Ganya asked pleading. "Don't you want her to know? I am living testament to the life you should have… don't you want to have it?" Marcus thought about lying, giving an indecisive answer, but something stopped him.

Looking up into the girls eyes Marcus realized that Ganya was pleading for expectance. In her eyes, for him to turn down this opportunity was the same as turning her down, saying that he didn't want her. "More than anything…" He finally answered truthfully.

"Then take it." Ganya demanded softly slipping her hand into his and holding on tight, "Before it's too late."

-- -- --

"There are a few ruff spots to smooth out but other than that things are really taking off." Sheridan explained to Ivanova as they sat in her office, being President of the Inter Stellar Alliance apparently meant less paperwork for him than being the commanding officer of a space station. That or John didn't hate paperwork as much as Susan. Either way she was tired of it.

"By the way," John added after a moment, "where's Ganya gone off to. I'd hate for her to get in to any kind of trouble without a way to call for help." Susan had the sensation of being in a vehicle that had just stopped suddenly, but hid it well enough from the President.

"No idea, I did give her a com link though so she won't be completely stranded if anything happens." Susan assured the man.

John opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by the sharp beep of Susan's link. "Ivanova, go." She answered putting her pen down gratefully.

"Captain," It was Ganya on the other end sounding triumphant. "I have a Ranger here who requests an audience with you at your earliest convenience." Ivanova raised an eyebrow in question but answered anyway.

"I'll be there in a few minutes, just tell me where."

-- -- --

Susan entered the gardens where, Ganya had informed her, she would find Marcus. When she finally did spot the pair sitting on a bench under the willow trees Marcus looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"What's up?" Susan asked walking up to them and standing with her hands clasped behind her back professionally.

Marcus started when he heard her voice then gave Ganya a very dirty look. The young girl just smiled sweetly and gave him a clap on the back. "Good luck," She giggled before hurrying off out of the gardens leaving the two adults alone.

"Marcus?" Susan asked after a few seconds of standing there quietly.

"Would you please sit down," He clipped out shakily not looking up at her, "You're making me nervous." Susan, who had been taken aback by the state he was in sat down immediately without question. They sat side by side for what felt like ages before Susan decided to speak again.

"Marcus what's…"

He cut her off quickly fearing that if he waited any long he might lose all nerve. "Susan… I don't know how much you know about Ganya and where she came from, but…"

"I know she's your daughter, if that helps any." Susan supplied gently. Marcus looked surprised for a moment then looked down at his hands.

"Well I guess that saves at least a little…" But the feeling of Marcus' stomach dropping out contradicted his statement as he realized that this would only make it harder to tell her. More silence.

"So," Susan said, her voice taking on a chillier tone. "Are you going to tell me who your mystery woman is now?" Marcus looked up into her eyes and before he could think of anything to say or do his mouth took over for him.

"You…" He stated bluntly his voice quaking just noticeably. Susan looked lost for a moment then laughed out loud. She stopped a moment later at the look he was giving her.

"What?" Was all she could say as the implications of his answer hit home. "You're joking, right?" She asked, her voice faltering threateningly as she spoke.

"Steven did find the DNA match in the medical files. He said he didn't so that he wouldn't have to tell everyone in front of you. I guess he was going to tell you when he gets back from Earth." Marcus explained not daring to look up from his hands.

Susan couldn't find the words to fit her emotions. Everything was turned inside out and upside down, she couldn't think straight.

"I suppose this would be a bad time to say I love you?" Marcus asked meekly finally looking up again. Susan sat beside him with a blank expression for a moment longer then without a word she left the gardens and Marcus was alone.

-- -- --

A/N: OMGs!! I don't know if that was helpful or not, but we'll find out sooner or later, eh? Anyways, review pleaz! Tell me what you think should happen! I wanna know what will keep you reading! T.T.F.N! ) (

HIKARi


	9. Chapter 8

Waltz through Time: Chapter 9

A/N:Sorry its been a while, but I'm happy to announce that Hikari is now officially an SFA State University Lumberjack! HAH! I MADE IT! . So anyways, now our heroine is searching for a way to pull that disaster back together before something else comes and kicks around the pieces. Thanx for the support y'all, especially to Marie, Fondued Jicama, Talex Wyldcard, and "I'll Get There" (who ever you are, lol) for reviewing chapter 7! I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am.

-- -- --

Chapter 8

-- -- --

Ganya didn't understand. It had been going so well! She had finally managed to get the Captain and Marcus in the same room together and talk about the situation at hand, but something had gone terribly, _terribly_ wrong. She had been waiting outside the garden entrance when the Captain had come rushing out alone, not even noticing Ganya in her haste to leave.

_In Valen's name, how hard could it be?!_ Her parents had never acted so irrationally before and it was starting to get on Ganya's nerves. She'd known these people for sixteen years and she couldn't ever remember being so angry at them before now. But that was just it; she didn't know these people, not like they were here and now. They weren't her parents yet, and there was a decade and a half's worth of experience that would have changed them between now and Ganya's time.

"So what should I do then?" She asked the empty room of her quarters nearly a week later as she tried to use rational reasoning to get through. She hadn't vanished into nothingness yet. That was a good sign, but every so often she got a very hollow feeling, like her insides were tottering between being solid and non-existent, something she did _not_ want to know the cause of.

"Well," Ganya voiced in answer to her own question. "I guess if I don't know these guys then I'm going to have to _get_ to know them," She concluded rising from the bed enthusiastically and pulling on her boots hastily while hopping out the door, eager to begin again.

-- -- --

"You wanna wha'?" Zach Allen asked as Ganya trailed after him through the busy Zocalo later.

_What are these people, deaf? _She seethed to herself remembering to breathe deeply. The security Chief was the third person so far to ask her the same question in response to her own.

"I would like to know more about the Captain," She said airily. Pretending to be patient and unconcerned in an event such as preventing the nullification of your entire existence was an extreme feet and Ganya was rather pleased with her self for not raising any suspicions so far.

"Well, why don't you go talk to the Captain then?" Zach argued eyeing an alarmingly loud dispute between two Pac-ma-ras on the opposite side of the corridor.

"Because," Ganya tried to sound convincing and not as though she were horrified at the very thought, "She's rather busy at the moment I don't think it'd be healthy to disturb her with such trivia."

"Well then you should wait until she's free. Ivanova wouldn't be too happy if she heard you were poking around behind her back, Hey!" He suddenly shouted startling Ganya and a few others in the crowd as he hurried of to deal with some rule breaker or another.

"Well that went well," She grumbled under her breath as she wondered off to find someone else to speak with. She supposed it was high time she talked to Marcus again, though she hadn't been able to find him since the garden incident five days ago. She highly doubted that Ivanova would talk to her even if Ganya wanted her to. Every time they came with in a ten foot radius of each other the woman seemed to remember an important engagement elsewhere and hurried off in the opposite direction.

She'd already talked to a few of the medical staff including Lillian (whom she now remembered as Doctor Hobbs) who was confused as to who she was and why she was inquiring and ended up being called of to another mad-lab for one reason or another without giving up much info. Then she had run into a man in down below who mistook her for a full fledged ranger (something that made her smile cockily) and turned out to be one of Marcus' contacts. Lovely fellow, though he was a bit skittish.

And finally she had spoken to a woman with flaming red hair wearing the trade mark Psi-corp insignia and gloves. At first Ganya was weary of her only responding to her hello with a polite nod, but the woman was vaguely familiar and after she introduced herself as Lyta Alexander Ganya remembered her as a distant connection. She seemed on fairly friendly terms with both her parents and they had chatted for a bit, but after Lyta gave her a funny sideways glance as though trying to catch a hidden image of something Ganya had beat a hasty retreat. Even though she was far out of Psi-corps' reaches (or at least she was in her proper time and she hoped she was here) she was still terrified of them and didn't want anything remotely to do with them.

Ganya had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she ran straight into someone along a corridor without even noticing it. With lighting quick reflexes she grabbed hold of the person's arm to keep them from falling and was astonished to recognize who it was.

"Entil'Za," She stared blankly as Delenn smiled kindly back at her. She bowed jerkily, her brain suddenly working very slowly.

"Some one so young should not be so troubled," The Minbari woman said in her usual enchanting voice and Ganya blushed a little.

"Entil'Za?" Ganya finally asked, her brain straining to pick up speed again.

"Please, just Delenn, formalities can be quite tiring sometimes," She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. Ganya nodded.

"Delenn, can I ask you a question?" Entil'Za smiled at her and Ganya felt she'd set herself up for this one.

"I believe you just did, but you may ask another if you wish." Ganya ginned, same old Delenn. Humor was apparently the first thing she'd picked up from her human counterpart.

"Do you know the Captain very well?" Delenn raised a hairless brow at this.

"We are friends, yes I think so." She replied looking thoughtful. "Why?"

"Do you think you could tell me a bit about her?" Ganya asked hopefully. Delenn smiled and gestured for her to follow as she continued down the hall in the direction she'd been headed before Ganya had nearly run her down.

"What would you like to know?" Delenn asked as they came to a stop in front of a door and she entered a key card into the slot opening the door with a soft hiss of machinery.

"Well…" Ganya considered her words carefully. "Is she a very forgiving person?" They entered the room and Ganya immediately felt at home among all the Minbari crystals, mobiles of tear shaped glass and the sweet fragrance of incense.

Delenn seemed to find this funny as she laughed softly before answering. "I suppose that depends. Is there a situation in particular you are speaking of?" Ganya shifted uncomfortable. She had the strangest feeling Delenn knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Well, supposing… hypothetically of course," Entil'Za nodded and smiled mirthfully. "Supposing someone turned up out of the blue and told you something about your future that you weren't expecting, something huge, like your role in a major historical event or…" She cast around for another analogy.

"Or your future offspring?" Delenn asked. Ganya stared rather stupidly at the woman for a moment.

"Or… or that," She stammered, "Anyways, supposing someone did that to the Captain, do you think she'd be angry with them? Would she accept what they told her?" Delenn considered it for a moment offering Ganya a place to sit as she herself sat down on a sofa adorned with metallic and pastel cushions and blankets.

"Well," Delenn finally sighed. "Captain Ivanova is a very strong person, but she is also very vulnerable. She has been hurt deeply in the past by those she loved and she has grown to expect little to no companionship in her life."

Ganya was surprised by this and frowned. "Vulnerable?" She asked. That wasn't a word she usually thought of when thinking of her mother, quite the contrary really.

"She is afraid of being close to people Ganya, and for good reason." Delenn explained softly.

"That's ridiculous!" Ganya interjected. "Why would someone turn love away just because it might not work out? What happened to 'Its better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all'?!"

Entil'Za smiled warmly at the young girl. "It's true that you should always love when the opportunity is given to you, but most people would rather be sure they are miserable than to take a chance and be happy." Ganya looked surprised. Delenn was so insightful she wondered how a single woman had become so intimate with universal truths like that.

"But I don't understand. A life without anyone to go home to at night and share it with isn't worth it," Ganya spoke softly trying to imagine not having her brother and sister to brag to or her parents to congratulate her on her work. Delenn smiled warmly and took Ganya's hand squeezing it gently.

"You have a very warm heart Ganya, maybe you should try to get her to listen to you. She may react better to you than she did to Marcus." Ganya nodded her head slowly thinking deeply on this. Then she realized what the other woman had said and she blushed.

"I didn't say that… it was a hypothetical question not…" She stammered trying to repair the damage, flustered.

Delenn began to laugh again until Ganya gave in with a heavy sigh. There was no denying it any more. Delenn was to sharp for it any ways. Then she remembered something.

"Speaking of Marcus, where is he? I've been looking for him for ages." Ganya said.

"Oh he left a few days ago on a mission, he's due to return tomorrow…"

"A _mission_," Ganya gasped, fear flooding her. "What kind of mission? Oh _Valen_ he's gonna get himself killed…" She continued horrified until Delenn stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"He will be fine. He is simply carrying information back home to Minbar for me." Ganya exhaled deeply slumping back in her seat. So he _wasn't_ off doing something stupid… good.

"Yes, I understand your concern," Delenn replied, her voice slightly stern. "With his previous record of recklessness I worry about him sometimes too." Ganya laughed. How many times had her parents had _that_ fight? Marcus was pretty loose cannon sometimes.

"So I should talk to the Captain myself?" Ganya asked skeptically, getting back on topic.

"Most likely," Delenn nodded. _Oh boy _Ganya thought as she thanked Entil'Za and left her company. _Won't this be fun?!_

-- -- --

Ganya spent the entire walk to Ivanova's office convincing her self that this had to be done. If she didn't confront the Captain her self then there would never be any solution to the problem. So she took a deep calming breath, straightened out her shoulders, set her jaw in determination, marched into the office… and nearly tripped over her self. Ivanova wasn't even _there_!

Ganya made a screaming noise in the back of her throat pulling at her chestnut curls in frustration. Once she'd regain her composer she slapped the link on her hand and forced herself to speak. "Computer, locate Captain Ivanova."

Once she'd determined her location Ganya set off again to confront her mother. Strictly speaking Ganya wasn't allowed in C & C, but that didn't stop her from slipping past the security station and up the narrow hall. No one really seemed to be paying attention… _Maybe I should suggest that security be hyped a little after this,_ she thought to herself as the doors to the command deck slid opened for her and she stepped in. No one even looked up at her as she strode to the forward catwalk where the Captain stood in front of the glass view port working at a console.

_Whoa…_ Ganya thought looking out of the view port, her mouth slightly a-gap. The space outside was vast and unending, the stars glittering in a sea of black. Ganya stood for a moment admiring the view, but frowned when something caught her eye, like the glint off of something camouflaged when it moved through its hiding place. She had a funny feeling that something was watching her, but quickly shook if off, that's not the reason she was here.

The Captain still hadn't looked up to see who had entered so Ganya decided to declare her presence herself. "Now _that's_ a view." Ivanova gave a visible start and swiveled around to give the young girl a death glair. Ganya had to remind herself not to back step at the look. _Stand your ground,_ the old mantra echoed in her mind.

"What are you doing here?" the Captain seethed through gritted teeth and with out another word took Ganya by the arm and frog marched her out of C & C raising curious glances from the officers around them. Ganya felt like she was seven years old again and had embarrassed her mother in front of someone important as Ivanova led her down to the end of the hall and released her.

"I'm sorry," Ganya said rubbing her sore arm, "I tried your office but you weren't there. I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Susan snapped. She'd about had it with this girl and what she was trying to do.

Ganya was taken aback but her snippy tone, but was not prepared to back down. "Look, I know this is hard, but if you'll just listen…"

Ivanova wasn't going to have any of it, "No, _you_ listen to me. I don't want to hear about this anymore. I don't want to know about you or the future or Marcus or anything else you have to say! I don't want you…" She didn't finish as another officer came down the hall from C & C. Ivanova stepped back so that the man could pass and when he was gone she turned back to Ganya.

The expression on the girl's face stated one thing and stated it very clearly. She was _crushed_. Ganya didn't make it a habit of crying in public but despite her best efforts salty hot tears were trailing down her face. There was a moment of thick silence before she could trust her voice again.

"I'm sorry I've been such a bother the last few weeks," She made every effort to steady her voice though it shook threateningly anyways. "I thought you'd understand." Susan opened her mouth to speak, but to late. Ganya turned on her heal and hurried off down the hall and out of sight.

Susan leaned against the wall after the girl was gone suddenly feeling very tired. She'd assumed that after the war ended things would be easier, but this was by far the most difficult situation Susan had ever faced, and it could only get worse before it got better.

-- -- --

Michael Garibaldi stepped off of the transport and into the terminal on Babylon 5 with his new wife, Lise and her daughter, Taylor close behind. It was good to be back in the familiar surrounding again, even if it was only for a short business trip. It had been a hard haul from the near demise of Edgar's industry when its previous owner had been murdered to the semi-stable position they were now in and Michael, being the new co owner of the industry was escorting Lise to a meeting with other white-collar business associates to work out new alliances for the company.

He would be dropping in to say hello to all his old security pals and of course he would visit his friends, though he was slightly apprehensive. No matter how heart felt and sincere an apology was there would never be the same bond between the betrayer and the betrayed, even if said betrayer had done so unknowingly. Sheridan had already accepted his apologies and Michael was pretty sure Steven would too. Susan on the other hand…

Lise took his hand and Michael smiled, momentarily forgetting his troubles. The trio walked through customs and Garibaldi was greeted enthusiastically by the security guard working there. Then they entered the main corridor and got lost in the hustle and bustle. God it was good to be home.

Michael was jeered from his euphoria however by a sudden collision with someone else. He was surprised when the person, a teenaged girl with curly brown hair wearing Minbari style clothing looked up at him with tear-filled green eyes. Even more surprising was when the girl flung her arms around his middle (she wasn't tall enough to reach any further) and hugged him fiercely.

"Michael, who is this?" Lise asked supporting Taylor on one hip as she watched the two curiously. Before he could answer the girl looked up at him and spoke through her tears.

"I'm glad you're here Uncle Mike." _Okay_, Michael thought as he stood in the middle of the busy corridor with a stranger leached on to him. His old theory came back to him and he grimaced. _There_ _really never will be a normal day on Babylon 5._

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A/N: Yippy!! I just had to bring Garibaldi back into it! He's such a great character this story would be an insult if it didn't have him in it! Hope you're still enjoying and reviewing! Until next time, cheers!

HIKARi


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